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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to computer file systems, and more particularly to a user interface for configuring connections between a file system residing on the local workstation and a file system residing on a remote host system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Connecting a workstation to a host, known as host workstation connectivity, may be a relatively straight forward terminal connection or emulation. It may also be a rather complex connection such as connecting, mapping, and converting files and directories from a host file system to a workstation file system to support a scenario such as Remote Edit/Compile/Debug.
Remote Edit/Compile/Debug provides a workstation environment for performing the edit, compile, and debug tasks associated with host application development. Application parts, such as COBOL source code, COBOL copy books, and host JCL, are kept in partitioned datasets (PDS) or partitioned datasets extended (PDSE) on the host. These files may be accessed and used through a project, such as an IBM(copyright) Multiple Virtual Storage (MVS(copyright)) project (IBM(copyright) and MVS(copyright) are registered trademarks of International Business Machines Corporation in the United States, other countries, or both.). The names appearing on the workstation for the host PDS and PDSE members depend upon how the MVS drives are defined during Remote Edit/Compile/Debug setup.
Remote Edit/Compile/Debug can provide many benefits. Host data sets may be accessed from the workstation. After completing the required configuration, a workstation project can connect to PDS or PDSE data sets on the host and include members in the project. These host files may then be accessed as if they were workstation files. Host files may be edited and compiled from the workstation. Jobs may be submitted, monitored, and debugged from the workstation.
However, using the Remote Edit/Compile/Debug for host development requires communications to be configured at the workstation and at the host. This configuration may be quite complex as the following configuration example illustrates.
Host configuration to support connectivity for Remote Edit/Compile/Debug may comprise the following steps:
1. Install, configure, and start a communications protocol on the host, such as the Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP).
2. Install and configure a remote execution server on the host, such as Remote Execution Server for MVS.
3. Further configure TCP/IP to automatically start the remote execution server. For example, by adding the following statements to a data set PROFILE.TCPIP:
AUTOLOG
RXPROC
ENDAUTOLOG
4. Install and configure a Network File System (NFS) server. Such configuration may be accomplished by modifying an NFS site attributes data set such that a default parameter xe2x80x98nopcnfsdxe2x80x99 is changed to xe2x80x98pcnfsdxe2x80x99.
5. To enable file extension mapping, the site attributes data set may be further modified by changing the default parameter xe2x80x98sfmax=0xe2x80x99 to xe2x80x98sfmax=1xe2x80x99, and by changing the default parameter xe2x80x98nofileextmapxe2x80x99 to xe2x80x98fileextmapxe2x80x99. A default file extension mapping data set may be specified by adding the parm xe2x80x98sidefile(mapping_dsn)xe2x80x99, where mapping_dsn is the name of the file extension mapping data set. The file extension mapping data set must have a name of the form hlq.NFS.MAPPING, where hlq can be any high level qualifier, and it must be allocated with DCB=(recfm=fb, Irecl=80, blksize=400). Such a file extension mapping data set may contain either a default or a user-specified mapping such as the following mappings:
col 1
|
V
# NFS.MAPPING
**.SYSADATA.ADT
**.COBOL.CBL
**.PLIOPT .PLI
**.PLI.PLI
**.COBCOPY.CPY
**.OBJ.OBJ
**.LOAD.EXE
**.CLIST.CMD
**.SIGYCLST.CMD
**.CNTL.JCL
**.JCL .JCL
**.LISTING.LST
**.OUTLIST.OUT
6. Install the Remote Edit/Compile/Debug host component.
7. Start TCP/IP and NFS server.
Workstation configuration to support connectivity for Remote Edit/Compile/Debug may comprise the following additional steps:
1. Install, configure, and start TCP/IP on the workstation.
2. Install and configure the NFS Client.
3. Start the NFS client with the following command:
net use m:   yourhost youruser,text,crlf yourpassword /user:youruser where youruser and yourpassword are a userid and password and where m is an available drive letter.
4. If the connection to the host was successful, disconnect before the next step using the disconnect command:
net use m:/d
5. To enable file extension mapping, reconnect to the host with mapping by specifying fileextmap with the following command:
net use m:   yourhost youruser,text,crlf,fileextmap yourpassword /user:youruser
6. Verify that the remote execution server is started by entering the following command:
rsh yourhost-lyouruser/password time which should provide the output of the time command if the remote execution server is running.
As the above demonstrates, conventional configuration of host workstation connectivity is complex with many opportunities for errors. Such complexity may also affect the performance and reliability of conventional host workstation connectivity. Thus, there is a clearly felt need for a method of, system for, and computer program product for providing an improved easy-to-use and more reliable user interface for configuring connections between a file system residing on the local workstation and a file system residing on a remote host system.
The present invention provides a user interface for configuring connections from a local workstation between a file system residing on the local workstation and a file system residing on a remote host system. The interface provides for such configuration by allowing the user to specify the host system, specify a host directory path within the host file system, and specify a mapping between a file within the host directory path on the host file system and a file on the local file system. After such configuration, the user may access the host file system file in the same manner as a local file system file.
One aspect of a preferred embodiment of the present invention provides a user interface method for configuring connections from a local workstation between a file system residing on the local workstation and a file system residing on a remote host system, the method comprising the steps of: specifying the host system; specifying a host directory path within the host file system; specifying a mapping between a file within the host directory path on the host file system and a file on the local file system; and accessing the host file system file in the same manner as a local file system file.
Another aspect of a preferred embodiment of the present invention provides for identifying a user of the host system as a part of the specifying of the host system.
Another aspect of a preferred embodiment of the present invention provides for specifying a mapping between a host code page in which data in the host file is represented and a local code page in which data in the local file is represented after being converted from the host code page representation as a part of the specifying of the host system.
Another aspect of a preferred embodiment of the present invention provides for specifying a mapping between the host directory path and a local directory path on the local file system as a part of the specifying of the host system.
Another aspect of a preferred embodiment of the present invention provides for specifying a data transfer type associated with files contained in the host directory path as a part of the specifying of the host directory path.
Another aspect of a preferred embodiment of the present invention provides for specifying of the mapping by: specifying a local file extension type, specifying a pattern describing host files to which the local file extension will be applied, and specifying a data transfer type applicable to mapped host files conforming to the pattern.
Another aspect of a preferred embodiment of the present invention provides for the interface displaying in a first portion of a display a visual indicia representing the host system, displaying in a second portion of the display a visual indicia representing the host directory, and displaying in a third portion of the display a visual indicia representing the mapping between the file within the host directory path on the host file system and the file on the local file system.
Another aspect of a preferred embodiment of the present invention provides for the interface displaying in a first portion of the display a visual indicia representing the local directory path, and displaying in a second portion of the display a visual indicia representing the converted and mapped local file within the local directory path.
A preferred embodiment of the present invention has the advantage of providing an improved user interface for configuring connections between a file system residing on the local workstation and a file system residing on a remote host system.
A preferred embodiment of the present invention has the further advantage of providing a mapping between a host directory or directories and a local drive.
A preferred embodiment of the present invention has the further advantage of providing a mapping between a host directory path and a local directory path.
A preferred embodiment of the present invention has the further advantage of providing a mapping between a host code page in which data in the host file is represented and a local code page in which data in the local file is represented after being converted from the host code page representation.
A preferred embodiment of the present invention has the further advantage of providing a data transfer type associated with files contained in the host directory path.
A preferred embodiment of the present invention has the further advantage of providing a local file extension type, a pattern describing host files to which the local file extension will be applied, and a data transfer type applicable to mapped host files conforming to the pattern.
A preferred embodiment of the present invention has the further advantage of providing an improved user interface displaying system connection information in a single multiple-pane window.
A preferred embodiment of the present invention has the further advantage of supporting multiple host file system formats.
A preferred embodiment of the present invention has the further advantage of providing concurrent connections to multiple host file systems.
A preferred embodiment of the present invention has the further advantage of providing a mapping to multiple types of host files.